There is internet in WV? Who knew…
I thought the detail in the OP about the size of the police force was funny. Back when we moved to where Mom and the bros now live (1973), there was a single local cop for the whole town (plus dettachments of national police and guardia civil, but only one “town cop”); now there’s thereabouts of forty (plus nationals, civiles and regionals) but the town has only grown by about 1/3 of its old population.
I am a native of South West Virginia. That is the South Western part of Virginia. I recently went to an interview in Morgantown and really felt at home. Some of it is really nice. Some of it, well…
My Grandpa was born in Middlebourne, in Tyler County.
I have lots of familly in West Virginia, and I wouldn’t mind paying a visit there myself.
There’s a state called West Virginia?
Just in case I woosh anyone, I’m not that dense. It’s just, when is the last time anyone here has actually heard anyone mention WV? It’s like Vermont and Delaware…
What has 4 teeth and 400 legs?
The funnel cake line at the West Virginia State Fair!
(I love these jokes. Mainly because my step-brother, who practices medicine in Oceana, HATES them!)
Couldn’t they come up with a more original name other than just adding west to Virginia.
If you knew the tenants of our rental properties, the idea that they could achieve the concept of “west” would impress the hell out of you! 
Maryland’s loss is West Virginia’s gain! We’ll miss you, norinew!
Oh, and as requested:
Q. Why do ducks fly over West Virginia upside down?
A. There’s nothing worth crapping on!
Q. What do a tornado and a West Virginia divorce have in common?
A. Someone always loses a trailer!
How do you get a one-armed West Virginian out of a tree?
Wave at him.
How do you know a West Virginian burglar has been in your house?
All your garbage is missing. And your cat is pregnant.
Welcome to WV!
Blue Ridge Mountains? Shenandoah River?
I hear life is old there, older than the trees.
But at least there are country roads that will take you home.
Norine, that sounds great! I love WV too, went to West Virginia University, and traveled the state during my college years and it is wonderfully beautiful and the people were always so nice.
I found this cool aerial photo of West Union and it looks like a cute town, and I can see some really cool Victorian-style houses. I bet your building can be seen in that photo. The courthouse is beautiful too.
Is Mudgirl excited about moving? Have you checked out the local schools? I’m very excited for you!
Hey, BiblioCat, I’ll miss the Marylander’s, too! Believe it or not, this will be the first time in my life I’ve lived outside of Maryland!
nyctea, that’s a great photo! Thanks! I could identify: the courthouse (of course!), the library, the doctor’s office, and the street the apartment building is on (it’s right around the corner from the courthouse-but then, in West Union, everything is right around the corner!), but it seems like the apartment building itself is just a tiny bit out of range. It’s a very tiny (obviously), very safe town. I’ve told 9YO mudgirl that on a Saturday, she can take off on her bicycle or little battery-powered moped and as long as she’s home by dark, it’s good. If she gets into trouble, believe me, I’ll hear about it! It’s one of those towns where everyone knows everyone, and everyone knows everyone’s business.
Of course, the irony is the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River are mostly in regular Virginia, and only in the tiniest sliver of West Virginia.
norine, I haven’t lived outside Maryland much, either.
I spent a year in Buckhannon, WV, at West Virginia Wesleyan College. I don’t know where West Union is in relation to Buckhannon.
West Virginia is a pretty place.
From Buckhannon, you’d take 79 North to Clarksburg, then 50 West to West Union.
I looked it up. It’s about 60 miles via Clarksburg-Bridgeport.
ETA: Dang you, CandidGamera! Daaaaang yooouuuuuuu!
My dad was from South Western Virginia - almost the toe of the shoe. Drove him crazy when we called it west Virginia rather than western Virginia. Even the poorest of coal-town hillbillies needs someone to look down on, that’s why we spun off West Virginia during the Late Unpleasantness.
I actually married a West (by god) Virginia girl. She had all of her teeth AND a pair of shoes so my dad didn’t figure it out until it was too late to protest.
Some of his favorites:
State flower of West VA: The disk antenna.
State bird: the housefly
Best thing to ever come out of WV? An empty Greyhound buss.
Did you hear about the tornado that ripped through West Virginia last year?
It did $100 million worth of improvements.
But really, I have a special place in my heart for West Virginia. Wild and wonderful is a great way to describe some of the awesome natural beauty of the state. And one of these days I’m going to play all three courses at the Greenbriar…
I’m pretty familiar with where Buckhannon is, though I’ve never actually been there. I just know where it is from passing signs for it. Mostly, as far as the part of WV I’m moving to goes, I been to Clarksburg/Bridgeport (that’s the closest mall to West Union); there’s a humongo shopping center in Clarksburg-think 2 mile long strip-mall-that has Panera Bread, Ruby Tuesdays, Pier One Imports, WalMart, BigK, Staples, Denny’s, Aldi, on and on. Just about anything you might need, you can find in that shopping center. If you head a little further towards Bridgeport, you get to the mall, which has Target, Sears, FYE, Bath and Body Works, and an Outback Steak House. There used to be a really good Outback competitor in that strip-mall, called Boomerang’s. It’s a Shoney’s now. 